Winter was long and the snow was deep. We can measure how long, but do we really know how deep?
Environment Canada is the only source for this type of information on the Prairies. But changes to how weather information is collected are leaving some rural residents out in the cold.
In days gone by, precipitation records were collected by volunteers who monitored weather across the plains. The data they provided was cross-checked with data collected by manned weather stations, and a combination of satellite images and other meteorological tools.
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Government cuts have reduced the number of manned stations and a decline in volunteer weather watchers has led to more dependence on automatic weather stations. The unmanned stations measure precipitation they encounter, but prairie winters have never been especially co-operative.
Ted Sawchuck, of Environment Canada in Winnipeg, said winter winds and other factors can play tricks with automated stations and that could lead to irregular precipitation reports.
“One guy on one quarter of land will get an inch of precipitation and his neighbor may not get any. Depending on where you placed the reporting station you will either get one inch of water or none,” he said.
“When we still had people doing the weather observations, they could apply some common sense to their findings. The machines tell us exactly what they find, but don’t have the benefit of perspective to add to the information.”
George Herber, of Duval, Sask., is one of the few weather watchers still manning a post in the countryside between Regina and Saskatoon. He agreed that the ability to see conditions surrounding the station make human weather gatherers indispensable.
“When I started back in 1957, I was one of about 200 manned stations in the province. After 40 years I am one of the last,” he said.
Herber runs a climatological station for the department and records weather conditions twice a day, reporting each morning. He said snow is one of the most difficult elements to measure.
Area average taken
“We have a snowboard that will capture snow when it is calm. On the Prairies that doesn’t happen too often. We also measure snow falls over a 300 yard average. That is the most accurate and machines can’t do that,” Herber said.
Environment Canada officials say their general precipitation reports for regions are correct but individual stations may be wrong. Those in charge of water management say the department accurately reports snow conditions over a large area but is unable to provide details about unusual situations in small areas.
“There are about 175 reporting stations across the West and about half are automated. We are increasing the number of automated stations by 15 to 20 each year,” said Frank Svistovski, of Environment Canada.
“The hourly reporting manned weather stations are a thing of the past. Cuts mean that we have to compromise on the way we collect some of the data …. Snow has always been one of the hardest things to measure and this is reflected in the switch to automation,” he said.
The federal department says it continues to explore ways to improve the accuracy of new systems.
“The radar and other new systems are very accurate, but that doesn’t stop the guys in the office from calling to ask what I can see when I look outside to confirm what their equipment is telling them,” said Herber.
